@Nyrryl-Cadiz Hello Nyrryl, so after thinking it through, I think I am just going to try my best to target my work more towards a middle school demographic as opposed to maybe a comic book or older direction. I'm just not in the position to change my style to fit that taste at the moment. In a sense, I am behind in my art style skills, but to change or improve that may take a very long time, require constant commitment, and maybe cost a hefty amount of money in school.

But TL;DR I will try to become a middle school book artist and draw covers and artwork featuring 10-13 year old characters, in story scenarios appropriate for that age demographic.

Pentel Pocket brush pen is a favorite among many artists due to its durable nylon brush tip, which offers excellent flexibility and control. It produces smooth and consistent lines, making it great for both beginners and professionals.

@LauraA Yeah people really don't care when it comes to scamming. Makes it harder on people when they really do have issues. Makes people skeptical of everyone.

I didn't get my hopes up too much. I definitely don't have a career and at this point I don't know if I even have the energy for one. Just been doing little freelance stuff. But hoping at least other people see this thread and don't fall for it.

@Sarah-Fowler We did a whole podcast about burnout. I'll try to dig it up later if I can....

I was just searching for the answer to this question and would love it if anyone else has a link to an actual checklist. In the meantime, I found the following in the shownotes of episode 122 which said something like, “All three teachers have similar checklists that can be summarized as follows:”

Concept: What am I trying to say, and does the message read clearly?

Gesture: Are my characters in expressive, storytelling poses?

Design: Do the clothing, architecture, and details in this image follow the principles of design (balance, alignment, unity, emphasis, contrast, proportion, etc.)?

Structure: Are the volumes, shapes, and perspective consistent and accurate?

Rendering: Is my line control solid and my technique deliberate?

@dougart I'm going to look into that right away, is it a class here under the curriculum ? I'm having some trouble finding it.

@Nyrryl-Cadiz Hi and thank you for your advice! I totally agree that my hands are not the best one, so they could be definitely improved! All the best for you too!

@TheresaMuth Yes, good point. Full disclosure I normally use perspective lines (the Procreate perspective drawing guide drawing assist layer is a great help) but I thought I could be clever and wing it this time around. I obviously ran into problems. The original point of view was going to be from the floor up but as I struggled I decided I'd just change it to have the mouse sitting on a table. 🙈 Oh my gosh, how lazy was that?! Anyway, I'll make the changes @Kevin-Longueil mentioned and I should probably draw in the table edge that he's sitting on so that it's clear. Lesson learned! I'm not at the point in my journey to be winging my perspectives just yet!

Your concept art's amazing- I loved looking at your portfolio! I'm new to illustration myself, and don't have any more advice to offer than you've gotten already. For my own portfolio, I only have children's book illustrations, because that's what I want to be hired for. But I've seen illustrators who have multiple skill sets use separate tabs to show each of them, like Nyrryl suggested.
Hopefully other illustrators can chime in with more advice. Good luck and congrats on your book!!

I was wondering if anyone here would know if agents take on clients just for their book covers? Or if I was to create a portfolio of just book, cover, art, with that entice an agent call Ma or would they want to see other things in my portfolio? Would love to hear your thoughts @Jake-Parker @will-terry-art @Lee-White

@danielerossi Good advice. I have neither cover nor title currently, will bear this in mind!

@Gwendolene-vdm This is something you should verify with the agency to be sure, but I think this paragraph means that they are your exclusive agent (as in, you can't have another agent), not that you're not allowed to find your own work 🙂

Also, the second paragraph means that you give them permission to negotiate in your name. However, you still ALWAYS have the right to refuse any work they offer you, or ask them to request more money before accepting.

The third paragraph means that the client will pay your agent, then the agent will take their cut and pay you the rest. You do not have to pay your agent directly, the money flows from them to you.

This section makes it clear: "If you, or anyone on your behalf, directly receives any payment for your Works you shall pay the Agent’s commissions promptly." Basically the agent is supposed to receive the money directly. If the client fucks up for whatever reason and pays you directly, that's not how it's supposed to work and do still send me my commission please (I'm paraphrasing lol)

Again, double-check all of this with the agent to be sure. But I don't see anything nefarious or potentially harmful here, it all seems very normal and not as you interpreted them (unless I'm mistaken).

@kylebeaudette Thanks Kyle. Yeah, really lovely what you said here. Thanks for the support, means so much. I am definately here long term.
I just got my first project with a publisher in NY! A four book deal creating the art for four sensory board books. Looking forward to share when they are out!!! I have been with SVS since the start when it was Will's Illustrating Children's Book course so getting there!

Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who voted!

Looks like Option 3 wins the popular vote! I also asked random people, colleagues, friends and family and Option 3 kept coming in as a first choice.

Interestingly, the author Tim Ferris used popular vote for the name of his Uber-popular book, The 4-Hour Workweek. He used AdWords and slipped dust jacket covers over books at the bookstore to see what grabbed people’s attention the most!

I might just do the same on my next Picturebook!

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@von_Nimmermehr Yeah, I know lots of artist go by other names when publishing on the internet. The name I was going to use sounds like a "regular" name. But the bonus is, I googled it and there are no other working artists with the same name. My actual name on the other hand has tons of artist with it. I don't even have a unique name in my family. My husband's cousin's wife has the same name as me. People confuse us on the social media all the time too.

My experience has been that the 45 day waiting period is not necessary and that 14 days should be sufficient. In the past, I have found that publishers are willing to comply with the request to send payments to agents and clients separately as long as it is within the contractual agreement. If your agent is still uncomfortable with this arrangement, you may want to consider renegotiating the terms of the contract to make sure everyone is comfortable with the payment terms.

Hello, it’s not quite soft pastel but your question reminded me of this https://youtu.be/h1x1Sy3jY0A Dandelion’s Dream is a book illustrated in powdered charcoal by Yoko Tanaka http://yoko-tanaka.com/dandelions-dream/

I thought you might find it interesting too.

@Charlotte-Glaze Hi Charlotte!👋 We are currently working on fixing the issue and will have it resolved ASAP! ☺ 👍

@NickyDrew Oh wow, thank you so much. Such a wonderful surprise -about subscribing to my Newsletter!

And thanks for sharing your thoughts. 🙂